Giardia lamblia, a parasite that until recently was widely believed to be relatively harmless, now heads the list of the most common intestinal parasitic infections in the United States and some other countries. The parasite causes a diarrheal disease call giardiasis.
This infection causes a variety of intestinal symptoms, such as prolonged diarrhea, abdominal cramps, stomach pain, severe weight loss, fatigue, nausea and flatulence.
Giardiasis can also cause malabsorption of nutrients and even retarded growth. Furthermore, giardiasis can mimic the symptoms of other conditions such as ulcers and gall bladder attacks. If misdiagnosed, a patient may have a series of costly, needless tests, and even surgery.
The infection can be successfully treated with one of three drugs: Atabrine, Flagyl or furazolidione. However, each of these drugs is known to cause adverse side effects. Until the present invention no prophylactic drug ash been found which can adequately protect against giardiasis. (L. K. Altman, M.D., The New York Times, June 10, 1980).
Trichomoniasis is an infection of the lower genito-urinary tract, which may be induced in men and women by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis. The infection may produce a few symptoms of such extreme discomfort and morbidity that intervention from a gynecologist or a urologist is necessary. The disease is of cosmopolitan distribution and apparently 10-25% of sexually mature females and 25-80% of their consorts are involved (E. A. Steck, The Chemotherapy of Protozoan Diseases, Vol. II, Section 3, 17-1 (1971). Trichomoniasis is presently treated with Flagyl(metronidazole).
The present invention relates to the use of 5-fluoro-2,4-(1H, 3H)pyrimidenedione (fluorouracil) or 2-hydroxypyrazine-4-oxide(emimycin) in the treatment of giardiasis and trichomoniasis in humans.